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Friday, August 31, 2007

Reused Bottled Drink in Libjo

Aside from the few distilled beverages like gin and rhum (tanduay), empty bottles of beer and soft drinks are required to be returned to where you purchase it. If you are from other countries these sounds funny. You buy something and you were told to return it? What kind of merchandise is it? Never found anywhere else, right? It is called return for reuse. It is a good in the sense we are not dumping used bottles or throwing it in the garbage. It is not recycled or use for other purposes. It is really return for reuse in its original purpose. Was it a government regulation? No. It’s not. We don’t have rules like in the US to collect 15 cents if bottles or cans are returned in a particular state. In towns like Libjo in the Philippines reuse and recycle has no government enforcement. There is only a simple reason why people return bottles, ‘deposit’. Every time you buy a bottled softdrink or beer you are required to bring a bottle exchange or a money deposit. And you know why? Because bottles in the Philippine-market costs more than what is inside. Meaning, beer bottle is more expensive than the beer itself. Because of its reuse value. Stores in the other hand to order wholesale are required deposit or empty bottles. They have to make sure they have complete set to re-order. And that is why if you have experience traveling in the Dinagat Islands and had a chance to eat and drink I’m sure you’ll be serve softdrink in a plastic cellophane bag with a straw (repackage softdrink from its original bottle). Of course no deposit required. And that's 'Only in the Philipines'.